I was just thinking about how close-knit this team is. One of my favorite moments of the season was in Week 14, I think, during the Cards/Hawks game. Our boy Tim Ryan, Seahawks personal National correspondent, mentioned how close this team was. How it's like a family in the locker room. Of course, that comes as no surprise to all of us thanks to the Real Rob Report. Carroll and Schneider and the rest of the gang have succeeded in making something "special."

Now, what about getting to the top and winning the Super Bowl this next season? It's obvious that with a few smart additions this team will be fighting for the Lombardi Trophy come playoff time next season. They'll do their thing in the draft, picking up some of the playmakers and stars of the future, that's what they do. What about free agency though? We've seen the 'Hawks adhere to their own version of the "Packers Model" in the past and the Packers are rarely active in free agency aside from keeping their own guys. When they do hit the FA circuit, it's usually for bargain bin players to fill out the bottom of the roster and compete for jobs and playing time. Now that the Hawks have almost completed the job of stocking a fully self sufficient roster, I'm expecting that they'll go that route in FA as well. So I'm not expecting any guys like Melton, Wallace, or Bowe. Guys with high price tags and a name for themselves.

Instead, I'm expecting them to go for guys that will fit into this close-knit squad. Guys with non-stop motors and relentless effort. Guys with high football IQ's and toughness that's through the charts. Guys that will come in to camp and try and earn the respect of their new teammates and prove to them that they are just as tough and can hang with the rest of the bunch. Someone who can be relied upon in the future when the games start to count.

So it wouldn't surprise me to see the team go after some guys like Delanie Walker. There's precedent for that kind of move, Michael Robinson anyone? Guys like William Hayes that are used to having to prove themselves and still not getting the respect. Hayes would make the perfect Seahawk with the chip he's probably got on his shoulder. Desmond Bryant was a UDFA from Harvard that spent two years buried on the bench in Oakland before emerging as one of the lone brightspots on an otherwise dismal defense in the Bay. Ask Scottemojo how much he'd love to have Desmond Bryant in this defense. Ramses Barden seems to fit the bill because he'll be cheap, overlooked, but has some serious size and potential. He looked like a genuine good receiver in his breakout game against Carolina earlier in the year.

Of course, I could be wrong. The team might try and make a huge splash or two and pick up some marquee free agents to create the feeling of the FO doing whatever it takes to get the best talent to Seattle to get a ring. What do you guys think? The marquee names approach or the "Always Compete" approach? Which type of free agents will be the best fit with this team and which type of FA will the front office pursue?

I don't think a big splash is necessary. Just find a couple quality starters, such as Desmond Bryant and Jared Cook. I think we'll find it much easier to sign free agents now that we have a franchise QB, a top defense, and coming off a playoff appearance.

I assume a TE like Cook would prefer to catch passes from Russell Wilson than Jake Locker. Seattle is also an ideal place for pass rushers to play. They'll get that extra boost from the 12th man, and also get a few coverage sacks with our great secondary.

Not that character doesn't matter, but I'm sure they will look for talented guys with character and think of terms of how they fit moreso than they will look for character guys who can play if that makes any sense.

I'm hoping to see Desmond Bryant on our radar and another "1 year show me contract" with Jason Jones. I think those two moves can go a long way towards resolving our D-Line issues (assuming Jones doesn't get hurt again, which is likely, hence his 'cuttable' contract. However, Bryant mitigates his potential loss as we can use him as more of a role player/depth.)

Osi has stated before that he would love to play at the link. Osi in Seattle feels like it would be a match made in heaven if given the chance. Jared Cook/Delanie Walker would be an awesome compliment to Zach Miller.

Osi has stated before that he would love to play at the link. Osi in Seattle feels like it would be a match made in heaven if given the chance. Jared Cook/Delanie Walker would be an awesome compliment to Zach Miller.

I was specifically going to mention Osi but I guess I forgot. I hope he ends up with the Hawks. Always been a fan of his goin back all the way to the Troy State days. I think he'd make an excellent addition and could have a huge impact if he finds the fountain of youth that great DE's have been able to find as of late. He could only help the pass rush IMO.

Schefter just reported on twitter (https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status ... 0236952576) that the Lions released DE Kyle Vanden Bosch. I remember us taking a look at him a few years back, but him opting for a heftier contract with them. Thoughts? He's 34, so probably only a one-year contract, but might help hold down the DE position until Clemons comes back.

Osi has stated before that he would love to play at the link. Osi in Seattle feels like it would be a match made in heaven if given the chance. Jared Cook/Delanie Walker would be an awesome compliment to Zach Miller.

I was specifically going to mention Osi but I guess I forgot. I hope he ends up with the Hawks. Always been a fan of his goin back all the way to the Troy State days. I think he'd make an excellent addition and could have a huge impact if he finds the fountain of youth that great DE's have been able to find as of late. He could only help the pass rush IMO.

Be careful what you wish for. I'm a fan of both teams, live in NY, and my family has had Giants seasons for over 40 years, so I feel I have a great working first-hand knowledge of the GMen from seeing them live. At Osi's peak he was a guy who really didn't do much other than make 4 or 5 big game plays off the pass rush. Kinda like what we all envison and hope Irvin becoming. Never gonna be a run stopper and can go unnoticeable for stretches, but when the pass rush os needed Osi came through big time. Well, unfortunately Father Time waits for nobody and over the past few years those 4 or 5 plays pretty much became 0, 1, or 2 at most. For the most part Osi has been useless, and I don't see him making some miraculous return to form. Foir 1 year there are certainly worse options, but I believe Osi still feels he's a top level player and will look for a multi-year deal. If that's the case he's a bigtime pass as far as the Seahawks are concerned IMO.

Osi could be a great pickup for us, but it would have to be a cap freindly contract and I don't see that in the cards.The main thing for me is contracts. We have a lot of extreemly talented young players soon to get a payday. I don't want to see any contracts given to players that can hinder our ability to keep ET, KC, Okung, Sherm and others. Get quality at very very low cost, just the way they have been.

"When is the NFL going to start fining receivers for running routes across KAM’S MIDDLE?!?!"-bpup33

Honestly, if the WR market isn't huge I think getting Bowe or Wallace would be fantastic. Even if it's a contract similar to what Sidney is getting that makes our offense become one of the most explosive in the NFL. Remember how scary the Cards were during the Boldin/Fitz years? They made average receivers become 1,000 yard receivers purely by defenses needing to focus on the outside. Our offense was clicking at a level we hadn't seen since 2005 to finish out the year and adding a PREMIER wide receiver puts us over the top IMO.

If the market is tough though, I think getting lots of depth on the Dline with some above average signings would be the next best thing. We would probably target playmakers earlier in the draft if that's the case which I wouldn't be opposed to either since there are a bunch of really solid guys coming out this year. Randy Starks would be a great pick up for us and I'd like Osi who has to realize he isn't going to get a big contract. He would become Raheem Brock except I think he has more talent.

Vanden Bosch nor Osi is an option in my opinion. These guys are accelerating downhill and unless you can get them at something similar to what Raheem Brock played for, I would just pass. These guys just do not seem to be short term answers.

Erebus wrote:I don't think a big splash is necessary. Just find a couple quality starters, such as Desmond Bryant and Jared Cook. I think we'll find it much easier to sign free agents now that we have a franchise QB, a top defense, and coming off a playoff appearance.

I assume a TE like Cook would prefer to catch passes from Russell Wilson than Jake Locker. Seattle is also an ideal place for pass rushers to play. They'll get that extra boost from the 12th man, and also get a few coverage sacks with our great secondary.

Makes sense to me. Those are the 2 players I'd like to see acquired. I wouldn't mind any size splash they would like to make... but, getting at least 2 players that have the potential to be key contributors makes things more interesting going into the draft to grab BPA/ also possible luxury picks vs. reaching for positions of need. I think doing that (reaching by drafting for need) really catches up with teams eventually.

Fan since team Est. 1976Winner of 2013 and 2015 .net annual draft contests

NYCoug wrote:So it wouldn't surprise me to see the team go after some guys like Delanie Walker. There's precedent for that kind of move, Michael Robinson anyone?

After watching the 9'ers play us this year & in the Super Bowl, Walker (the swiss army knife as they called him) is a reasonably reliable guy & versatile so the name suggests. My question is, why don't they use Robinson in a similar role? Could he be a similar TE, do there skills match up the same cause they are both the same physically from the info I can find (height weight speed), good run blockers and can catch the ball, although Walker maybe better catching in traffic and running routes as I have little to compare Robinson with?

Michael Bennett as a versatile end who can rotate with Red, backup at Leo, and play inside on passing downs.

Jared Cook and Dustin Keller as field stretching TE's to compliment Miller. I like Walker as well, but he is a little older.

All are youngish and fit the needs. I don't see much at WR that would significantly upgrade what we have at a reasonable price, but I could see is spinning the wheels on guys like Ramses Barden or Danario Alexander.

NYCoug wrote:So it wouldn't surprise me to see the team go after some guys like Delanie Walker. There's precedent for that kind of move, Michael Robinson anyone?

After watching the 9'ers play us this year & in the Super Bowl, Walker (the swiss army knife as they called him) is a reasonably reliable guy & versatile so the name suggests. My question is, why don't they use Robinson in a similar role? Could he be a similar TE, do there skills match up the same cause they are both the same physically from the info I can find (height weight speed), good run blockers and can catch the ball, although Walker maybe better catching in traffic and running routes as I have little to compare Robinson with?

Walker is so much faster its silly. Walker has historically been a Seahawk killer, so stealing him would have a double benefit.

I'd love to get Michael Bennett back. He never should've been let go in the first place. Kyle Williams... seriously? I sometimes think back to moves like that and then I can TRULY appreciate John Schneider and Pete Carroll. I'd take him back in a heartbeat. Here's my list of guys that I'd like to see us spin the wheels on...

Osi's the only older vet that I might spin the wheels on, if the price/terms are right. I'm afraid teams will break the bank on Cook and Keller, we're not the only ones trying to find our athletic TE in the mold of Gronk/Hernadez. I'm sure JS will do his thing and play the market like a fiddle, and still walk away with excellent talent at great value.

Last edited by NYCoug on Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:07 am, edited 2 times in total.

Well... These are they guys I'm looking at right now. I think most of these guys could be brought in without blowing out our cap space and/or wasting money on an overpriced big-name free agent like Mike Wallace, Michael Johnson, Henry Melton, Brian Hartline, Dwayne Bowe, Glenn Dorsey, Osi Omenyiora (Think I spelled his name right) and the likes.

Ramses Barden - Obviously, this is a popular choice. Still pretty young, he's 6'6" and he's had some big games for the Giants when he's had to step in. Unfortunately... A lot of football analysts are talking about a number of teams going after Barden, which means we'll have to win him over and that could mean spending more than we want for him. He's from Cali and went to Cal-Poly, so signing for a team on the West Coast might be a little more appealing to him, which might land us some kind of hometown discount. Still... He could cost more than we want to spend on him.

Austin Collie - If this guy could stay healthy, he'd be an amazing addition to our receiving corp. I'd love to bring him in, work on strengthening his neck to prevent concussions and see if he can stay healthy. When healthy... He's got some of the best hands in the league and he's exhibited excellent big play ability downfield. He's also from California and went to BYU, so he might sign a more cap-friendly contract to play out West. This is a guy I think we could get on the cheap, and the risk vs. reward is almost too good to pass up on. If he stays healthy, he's one of the best receivers in the NFL.

John Phillips - Who's this guy??? You wouldn't know because he's been stuck behind Jason Witten on the depth chart in Dallas for the first three years of his career. Much like Witten, he doesn't have amazing physical skills that jump out at you, but he's a really good football player that blocks well and he has amazing hands. Phillips' hauled in over 80% of his targets over the course of the first three years he's played in the NFL, even though he only received a limited number of targets. To put that in perspective, Golden Tate hauled in 67% of his targets this year and Miller hauled in a touch over 70% of his targets this year. A receiver or TE hauling in over 80% of their targets is, pretty much, unheard of... especially over the course of three years.

Doug Legursky - Can play Center or either guard position and I've even seen him play OT in a pinch. Knocked for being small, but he's proven he can hold his own against NFL competition and he's deceptively strong. You don't expect to see a guy his size anchor and move big guys around, but he does. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and I think he'd fit in extremely well with the Seahawks O-Line. Why sign Legursky??? So we can release our waste of a first round pick, James Carpenter, and improve the play of our interior line. Legursky would push all of our interior lineman, Unger included, to get better or lose their job to him. Unfortunately... Prying him away from the East Coast might be more costly than some would like, but he's not a big name free agent either, so he might come at a bargain if he has a legitimate shot at starting, which I think he would.

Lawrence Sidbury - This guy was one of the most physically gifted defensive ends taken in the 2009 draft. I'd rather bring in a young guy like this or draft a guy to compete with Irvin for playing time while Clemons recovers from his injury, than blow money on Osi and hinder Irvin's development because he's stuck behind Osi and Clemons on the depth chart when Clemons starts playing again. To me... Signing Osi would just be stupid. It would stunt the development of Irvin and any other young DEs we try to bring in and it would wrap up a ridiculous amount of money at the DE position with Clemons still under contract.

Dwan Edwards - A little up in the years, but he's under-the-radar and he'd probably give Seattle a discount because he's from the Northwest. Yes.. He's entering his 9th season, but he only seems to get better with age and he seems to be most comfortable playing in a 4-3, as his production really improved when he moved to the 4-3 defense. He recorded Over 50 tackles and 6 sacks last year with the Panthers, the best year of his career thus far. This guy could be a free agency steal for us if we get the kind of production and play out of him over the next couple of years I think we'd get.

Martin Parker - I remember watching this kid play in the National Championship with Richmond and I remember him absolutely tearing it up at the Shrine Bowl his Senior year, Defensive Player of the Game I do believe. Martin had bad luck with his back after signing with the Giants, but if Martin can get healthy and his back checks out, I'd absolutely love to see us bring him in. He'd be an awesome cost-effective addition at DT if he can stay healthy and he's still really young. This upcoming season will be his 3rd season in the NFL. Again... A high risk vs. high reward under-the-radar player with a ton of potential that can be signed for next to nothing.

Desmond Bryant - I'd love to see him brought into Seattle, but like Barden... He seems to be receiving a lot of attention from around the league, which could make him cost more than we want to spend if we have to outbid another team for him. At the right price, he'd be a welcomed addition to our interior defensive line though, and I don't think anybody can deny that.

Danell Ellerbe!!!!! - It's pretty much figured that Leroy Hill is gone. If we're going to sign a high dollar free agent; this is the high dollar free agent I want us to sign. The guy was, literally, everywhere last year for the Ravens. Quick, powerful, explosive, hits hard, covers well, gets in the backfield a lot and showed the ability to play inside or outside. This guy is going to be a pro bowler for years to come, regardless if he's playing inside or outside in a 4-3 or 3-4 defense. He's just an amazing linebacker. This is one guy I'd be willing to spend relatively big money on. I WANT HIM IN SEATTLE!!!

Last edited by firebee on Wed Feb 06, 2013 8:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

firebee wrote:Ramses Barden - Obviously, this is a popular choice. Still pretty young, he's 6'6" and he's had some big games for the Giants when he's had to step in.

If by "some" you mean "one". He had almost 2/3rds of his catches last year in one game (9 of this 14 came against Carolina). He's had plenty of opportunities, especially with all of Hakeem Nicks' nagging injuries, but has continued to be unproductive. I wouldn't get in a bidding war for him.

Rat wrote:Lagursky is garbage. Steelers fans have been complaining about him for years. You want to sign him so we can release one of our more promising offensive linemen?

Carpenter is one of our more promising linemen??? Carpenter couldn't beat out a journeyman OT, Breno Giocamini, for the start at RT. Granted, Breno is proving to be a stud when he doesn't make stupid mistakes. Then he couldn't beat out McQuistan, a journeyman OT/OG, or Moffitt, a 3rd round pick, for the start at OG. Then he got passed up on the depth chart by a rookie converted from DT to OG, JR Sweezy. If by promising, you mean disappointing... Then yes... Carpenter is one of our more promising offensive linemen.

As for Legursky... The only reason Steeler "FANS" complain about Legursky is because of his size. I've already seen the complaints. It's always... "He's too small. We need a bigger guy to step in for Foster, Pouncey, Starks or whoever else Legursky has to step in for because Pittsburgh's offensive line is plagued with injuries. It's never... He missed this assignment or he got owned by this player. He might get physically beat on occasion, but he doesn't get owned by a player and he doesn't miss assignments, allowing blitzes to come through unchecked on a regular basis like some of our interior linemen do.

As for Barden... I wouldn't get into a bidding war for Barden either and I was kind of trying to get at that point. Same can be said for Desmond Bryant. We might not land Barden because he's receiving a lot of attention from around the league. He's had big games for NY, maybe not on a consistent basis, but he's had a few big games and flashed the ability to be a big-time receiver in the NFL. His size and potential has a lot of appeal to a lot of teams. Bryant is being mentioned a lot for teams looking at DT prospects, so same boat. We might not land him because other teams are willing to spend more on him than he's worth, even though that's kind of hard to imagine with our DT situation being what it is with Jones and Branch hitting free agency.

You keep talking about how Barden has had these big games. It has been one. Statistically, the second best game of his career was his 3 catch 38 yard effort against the Saints in 2011. He has two career games with more than two catches, to go along with his zero career touchdowns. He has had plenty of opportunities with the frequent injuries to Nicks and Hixon, but has done almost nothing with those opportunities.

Kruger, Ellerbe, and/or Bryant would be good for me, if they sign at a good price. But im not scout, so i havent watched these guys a ton. on paper they look good tho. Starks sounds good to me too.

for offense, ive liked jared cook for a while at TE and think he could be a huge factor here. id like to see miller get more looks as well. hes proven he can be a factor catching passes, and i think he is underutilized in the passing game. i really like how he seems to have a knack for finding the open spots in zones. pair Cook with him and that could be deadly, especially in the RZ.

ive heard talks about Bowe signing here, or wallace, or welker but none of them wow me. Bowe has great skills, but he drops a lot of passes for a WR too. I'm not that familiar with wallace, ill admit, but i think we need a burner, a guy that can fly by and get behind the coverage. if wallace is that guy, i say sign him. welker is just another baldwin/tate type player, only older. nothing we need.

stay away from guys like Osi, Jason Jones, and possible Vanden Bosch are not worth it. They are old/older and id rather get a young up and comer.

"Beast mode was engaged, and when beast mode is engaged, no one can stop him"-- Some skins fan"I envy that hard hitting Seahawks D. Love the attitude they play with." Justblaze2729 Denver Fan

Rat wrote:You keep talking about how Barden has had these big games. It has been one. Statistically, the second best game of his career was his 3 catch 38 yard effort against the Saints in 2011. He has two career games with more than two catches, to go along with his zero career touchdowns. He has had plenty of opportunities with the frequent injuries to Nicks and Hixon, but has done almost nothing with those opportunities.

I guess that run he had early in the season kind of melds together into two games. He only had one big game and some action in the game leading up to that big game along with some action the game after. I just remember thinking about picking him up in my fantasy league early on in the season. So... I stand corrected. I guess he doesn't have that much big play ability. We'll just forget about the 15 yard avg. and the 11 conversion of downs he had on the 14 catches he did make.He might've caught more if he was targeted more than 21 times, but that didn't happen because Manning targeted Cruz, Nicks, Bennett, Bradshaw and Randle.

I pray that the Niners find a way to resign Walker. I feel like he wants to stay with the team, so hopefully they can work it out. He's a monster blocker, killer on special teams, and he can do just about everything relatively well. Considering the Niners have now decided that they want to pass the ball more often, I'd hate to lose a guy like him!

60niners wrote:I pray that the Niners find a way to resign Walker. I feel like he wants to stay with the team, so hopefully they can work it out. He's a monster blocker, killer on special teams, and he can do just about everything relatively well. Considering the Niners have now decided that they want to pass the ball more often, I'd hate to lose a guy like him!

If Walker were on the Hawks roster, I would not want him leaving. I read many posts from other Niner fans bitching about him, but the guy is a versatile player and makes a play here and there that saves a drive. All over the place.

The only concern I have and I mean only is that Bevell will get cute and pass even though Lynch is gaining yardage. 1/30/2015 - loaf

Melton just doesn't seem like a fit for us. Not in the scheme we run. Randy Starks just seems like a natural fit at 3-tech for us, he seems to stay relatively healthy and is the kind of DT that will collapse a pocket from the inside, sucking up at least 2 blockers at a time and allowing Irvin to leap in off the edge and decapitate the QB. If we add Starks, a decent vet DE and a couple of draft pieces along the DL, we'll be in very good shape next year.

I had originally wanted to see a top WR brought in either with our 1st rd pick or in FA/trade, but the more I think about it, the more I think that RW will be even more comfortable with Tate, rice, Baldwin and Miller next season, and it just moves WR down the priority list for me. We saw in the second half of the season that offense isn't a huge issue for this team. We can move the ball and we can score. What we couldn't do on a consistent basis was rush the passer, and that HAS to change for use to win the SB.

firebee wrote:He might've caught more if he was targeted more than 21 times, but that didn't happen because Manning targeted Cruz, Nicks, Bennett, Bradshaw and Randle.

Manning targets the guys who get open. For all of Barden's ability, he doesn't do anything with it. Guys like Reuben Randle, on the other hand, did take advantage of their opportunities.

As much as I'd love giving Barden a shot, I think Rat's right here.

My buddy is a HUGE Giants fan and he's been hyping up Barden for years, literally. Before this season started, he officially gave up on him and said that Barden is outstanding in practice and in the preseason, and he's got the size and speed combo you look for, but he just never puts it together in actual games that count. Who knows, maybe he could change that in Seattle. It's obvious with the additions of Edwards and Owens last season that the team wants a big receiver to fill that "Mike Williams" role. On the plus side, he'd probably come cheap so even if he didn't pan out you wouldn't be hamstrung with an awful contract.

Hawk4lyfe wrote:I'm not that familiar with wallace, ill admit, but i think we need a burner, a guy that can fly by and get behind the coverage. if wallace is that guy, i say sign him.

Wallace runs the 40 in 4.33 seconds and has led the Steelers in receiving for 3 or his 4 years in the NFL. He is only 26 years old and will likely not be resigned by Pittsburgh, based on their current salary cap situation, unless there is a big change in the positions he and the Steelers front office took in the negotiations last year. He has 4 years experience playing in an offense with a QB that likes to run around a lot to extend plays. IMO, he is a perfect fit for the Seahawks, but then, he is a perfect fit for any team. It all depends on who strikes his interest. Hopefully, if he hits the market, going to a team like the Seahawks will appeal to him.

Hawk4lyfe wrote:I'm not that familiar with wallace, ill admit, but i think we need a burner, a guy that can fly by and get behind the coverage. if wallace is that guy, i say sign him.

Wallace runs the 40 in 4.33 seconds and has led the Steelers in receiving for 3 or his 4 years in the NFL. He is only 26 years old and will likely not be resigned by Pittsburgh, based on their current salary cap situation, unless there is a big change in the positions he and the Steelers front office took in the negotiations last year. He has 4 years experience playing in an offense with a QB that likes to run around a lot to extend plays. IMO, he is a perfect fit for the Seahawks, but then, he is a perfect fit for any team. It all depends on who strikes his interest. Hopefully, if he hits the market, going to a team like the Seahawks will appeal to him.

Wallace is looking for top-flight receiver money though, and I believe he's a bit of a high maintenance player.

I wouldn't mind having someone of his talent on the Niners, but not at the risk of the potential baggage.

I've read a lot of opinions on Kruger lately. I am not sure how well the archive works here... but I've posted quite a bit about him over the last year or so I think. Paul wasn't a DE until he lost a QB battle in camp in college. He was the best high school QB in the state of Utah and is as cool and great of a teammate as there ever was. He was nearly killed after being stabbed many MANY times in an attempted murder. This is one reason why he turned pro early. He was still a bit undersized and was still learning the position. But he had a breakout season at Utah as a DE and went pro as his stock was up, and life is short and he'd already experienced the near death experience that changes so many.

He was strongly recruited by BYU and Utah as a QB, and both schools are pretty good at recruiting QB's. BYU said they wanted to move him to LB, Utah wanted to use him as a QB, so he chose to go there. Then they changed their mind. He played, almost died, came back and played even better, and hit the NFL as a still pretty raw player. He has just started to hit his stride. He was a QB from the time he was a little kid and is a supreme athlete. I think he compares very well to Clem in a guy that is just putting it together a bit later because he wasn't the prototypical DE from age 12 like some of these guys that are high draft picks. I don't think he's just good because of Suggs as some have suggested. He's gotten by on athleticism and work ethic for sure, and now is really developed into a true DE. His best years are ahead of him.

I like Paul. I like his family. I think he would be 100% perfect as a fit for the Hawks. He isn't a Grant Wistrom type of signing where the guy had a couple of semi-good years on a team with a dominant offense and is due for an overpayment from a dumb team. He is a supreme athlete, teammate, and human being who is due to breakout in a major way if put in the right situation, and he commands respect from his life experiences and the respect he shows to others and has earned. If I had any say in it, he'd be my #1 target of realistic options. Keep in mind... his whole family still lives here in Utah near Provo (city of Orem about 30 minutes from the SLC airport). His brothers are players too in the Pac 12 at Utah as are many of his relatives, friends, and so on. I think the draw to the west coast would be strong, especially with a strong team. It's a 90 minute flight home from Seattle which is about what many of our commutes are. I think this could really work in our favor if the Hawks went after him. It would be so much easier for his family to attend games and such.

He is loyal and am sure he'd play in Baltimore for his whole career, but I think with the right offer and if Balto doesn't wow him off the bat, that Paul would give very serious consideration to offers from Seattle, San Francisco, and Denver due to the closeness of his family (geographically and emotionally), and the close regional proximity to his loved ones, and the fact that all three teams are excellent teams. I don't see him going to a place like Arizona, San Diego, or Oakland because they are all not particularly good franchises. But I can see the lure of a winner that is so close to home. Seattle would be a nice fit, and with the right amount of zeros on a deal I would think he would at least consider it and pause and think through all of the positives of such a move (if Baltimore doesn't come to play at the negotiating table). But knowing him... if Baltimore is close, he'll stay put because he's that kind of guy. To me... that means he's the kind of guy I'd like to swipe and add to our team.

He is a total ball hawk and oozes leadership. I've seen similar players see opportunities like this and bolt because they have a chance to move to a younger team and lead rather than stick with a bit older team and be a "piece of the puzzle". I've said it too much. I'd be 100000000 percent behind a heavy pursuit of Paul and hope it isn't just a pipe dream on my part. Great player, and an even better person. Fits the Hawks mold of player perfectly. Was always the underdog as a DE in college. He was a QB playing OLB/DE and learning on the job and was dominating while just picking it up. I'd go after him over Osi or anybody else that is available at DE. Rotating him in and using him while Clem recovers, and then having a lineup with multiple looks with Irvin, Clem, Mebane and Kruger in on passing downs could be a thing of beauty. Paul has incredible football knowledge and I can see him having zero issue covering in zone blitz packages due to his speed and knowledge of offenses. Overall, he'd be my #1 target to help the pass rush from the outside.

Cheap and wanting to use their CHANCE here to make their value known for the next contract

Want to be part of something and a team after bad experiences

Understand Petes philosophy

Physical freaks as far as size, speed or both

Intelligent and football smart

Willing to set me stats aside for team wins

Regardless of position these are the guys that end up making the grade as free agents here. If you wrap these traits around a guy and he fits it their is a chance he would be on the roster. We invite everyone because that is what John and Pete do, no stone unturned. But whether we think they are part of the big picture is not always evident till Game time starts. As I said in another thread, we bring guys in just to allow our young guys to get exposure to savvy vets that still have game but not enough to beat out our starters only to release them. Nice way to get some upcoaching and experience for our depth.

To Be P/C or Not P/C That is the Question..........Seahawks kick Ass !!!! Check your PM's, Thank you for everything Radish RIP My Friend. Member of the 38 club.

I wouldn't mind seeing the Seahawks going after a few of those names I posted. All besides the QB's and CB's would be starter caliber FA's. I could see Felix Jones being an upgrade over Leon. Cook and Amendola would be sexy as hell on 2nd and 3rd downs with Wilson.

Cheap and wanting to use their CHANCE here to make their value known for the next contract

Want to be part of something and a team after bad experiences

Understand Petes philosophy

Physical freaks as far as size, speed or both

Intelligent and football smart

Willing to set me stats aside for team wins

Regardless of position these are the guys that end up making the grade as free agents here. If you wrap these traits around a guy and he fits it their is a chance he would be on the roster. We invite everyone because that is what John and Pete do, no stone unturned. But whether we think they are part of the big picture is not always evident till Game time starts. As I said in another thread, we bring guys in just to allow our young guys to get exposure to savvy vets that still have game but not enough to beat out our starters only to release them. Nice way to get some upcoaching and experience for our depth.